Sword Duke Lysen.

They were nearing seventy, but they were still one of the powerhouses leading Goyard.

Originally, there had also been Sword Duke Roman, spoken of as the other peak beside Lysen.

But they tried to kill the king’s descendant—and got killed instead.

Because of that, many who had followed Sword Duke Roman had no choice but to keep their bodies tucked in.

They also couldn’t easily choose a new master.

But the moment war broke out, Sword Duke Lysen raised sword families from all across the country.

“The old soldier doesn’t die. Bullshit.”

Lysen looked at the knights who had already resolved themselves to death.

Knights summoned from everywhere.

A large number of them had once followed Sword Duke Roman.

People who’d wondered if it was really right to follow a new Sword Duke.

One line from Lysen set their blood on fire.

“So even if we die, I’ll die first—so you can live.”

“WAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

Having lived a long life, Lysen knew how to use people.

And the real reason they finally chose to follow Lysen.

Because Lysen truly had resolved themselves to die.

But even if old Lysen poured out every last drop of strength, even if they fought with death in mind, they couldn’t change the flow of the rapid collapse.

And then.

A man who, to Lysen’s eyes, was still just a brat—someone who was only in the middle of building influence.

Lysen heard the story that eight hundred Blood Ghoul Corps had been annihilated by Hyunsoo’s fingertips.

How...?

Sword Duke Lysen couldn’t help being shaken.

The reason they’d believed Hyunsoo hadn’t even joined the battle.

Because there wasn’t a single speck of injury on Hyunsoo’s body.

You annihilated eight hundred Blood Ghoul Corps without taking even one wound?

Sword Duke Lysen had once crossed swords with Hyunsoo and lost by a hair.

After that day, Lysen felt their own limits—and became stronger.

A living example of how players and NPCs grow together.

But now, from the presence coming off Hyunsoo, Lysen could feel it.

So that’s it... being weak means you can become strong faster than anyone.

Until seeing Hyunsoo again, Lysen had been full of distrust.

Could someone that weak lead the nation of a powerful Sword King?

But now that thought was beginning to change.

...You’re strong.

Lysen laughed inside.

Maybe my king saw something I never could.

The joy of that dramatic reunion lasted only a moment.

THOOM, THOOM, THOOM, THOOM—!

The sound of drums being struck with all their might rose from within the Parion imperial army.

It was the signal for a total assault.

“Lord Lysen, from this point on, please withdraw all forces.”

“......What are you saying?”

Lysen frowned.

A total assault.

If they didn’t fight back against that assault, the Blood Ghoul Corps would fill the walls leading into the capital.

When they get close to the walls, and when they don’t—the story changes.

When they get close to the walls, the fall begins much faster.

They would climb the walls, fly in on flying monsters and slaughter the archers on top.

Then countless Blood Ghoul Corps would pour down onto the wall and begin a massacre.

But even while they spoke as if they couldn’t understand, Lysen realized Hyunsoo had a plan.

And when they heard what it was, Lysen froze.

“Neutralize them...? Thirty-five thousand Blood Ghoul Corps...?”

Lysen understood what kind of power Hyunsoo was talking about.

But they still couldn’t understand what that meant in reality.

In the royal court, there were analysts who measured the king’s power.

The Sword King’s killing intent.

That power was monstrous.

In experiments at the coliseum, the Sword King’s killing intent swallowed as many as five thousand.

But that was it.

“Pulling the army back isn’t easy. And if there isn’t absolute certainty this can be done, they won’t pull back.”

If they withdrew—and Hyunsoo’s words didn’t come true—Goyard would be allowing a faster fall with its own hands.

Then the proof happened at Hyunsoo’s finger.

“......?”

The ring on the hand Hyunsoo extended.

Lysen recognized what it was—and literally fell backward onto their ass.

“No way....”

No matter how strong Lysen was, in the end, they /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ were only a strong human within a single kingdom.

There was something humans simply called fear.

A demon.

A Transcendent species that no human would even dare to imagine killing.

And across the continent, there were far too many records—far too many pasts—of demons toppling a kingdom in a single day, or slaughtering it clean.

That’s right.

A demon was that kind of existence.

A transcendent being that toyed with humans.

And those who supposedly killed demons became the greatest legends of all—passed down as the biggest stories of them all.

The one who forged that story.

And Lysen had also recently heard talk spreading across the continent about seals.

“I’ll withdraw all forces.”

Having made their decision, Lysen pushed themself up.

“Do we need to inform them?”

“You must not inform them. But even without informing them—if the knights you lead withdraw, the withdrawal will begin on its own. Tell the knights to shout ‘withdrawal.’”

Lysen was impressed.

Even now, the knights following Lysen accounted for nearly thirty percent.

In a place filled with chaos, numbed reason, and fear—no matter how many want to hold the line, once an army pulls back, people can’t help but retreat with it.

Hyunsoo read that in an instant.

“When the full withdrawal is complete, every citizen and every soldier must cover their ears and close their eyes—and under no circumstances must they release him. There will also be one massive tremor. After that tremor, count ten seconds, then open your eyes.”

Lysen nodded.

Status ailments.

The greatest countermeasure was to not hear, not see—so you don’t feel that power at all.

Even if it was a demon’s power, the principle was the same.

But normally, this method became useless.

Because most cases were sudden encounters—and you couldn’t fight with your eyes closed and your ears covered.

But “knowing and preparing” and “not knowing” were completely different.

As Lysen started to move, they looked at Hyunsoo.

“......Your Majesty’s wounds are deep.”

There were layers of meaning in those words.

It was also a question: Is it possible?

Hyunsoo’s answer.

After hearing it, Lysen stared at Hyunsoo for a long time.

“......I see. The fucking bastard who did that to my friend—I’ll kill him.”

If it were a bluff, it was an absurd thing to say.

But Lysen could feel it on their skin.

Lysen confirmed that confident face, that expression full of certainty, then turned away.

“Withdraw! All forces, withdraw!”

Lysen’s shout.

That shout struck the Goyard army at high speed.

The knights Lysen led followed because they trusted Lysen completely.

“What is this?”

“Why are we withdrawing?”

“I don’t know—just withdraw with them.”

“WIT̶H̶D̶R̶A̶WAAAAAHHH!”

“They’re ordering a withdrawal!”

Along with it, the screams of citizens who believed the war was lost spread everywhere.

That crying shook Goyard’s capital—and beyond that, it gave the Blood Ghoul Corps the joy of victory, making them rush in even faster.

There were many knights and soldiers in the Goyard army who questioned it.

“A withdrawal? Fuck this! If we pull back, who the hell protects this kingdom!!!”

Among them was Knight Ken.

Ken tried not to withdraw—tried to charge the Blood Ghoul Corps instead.

But—

“Ken.”

“We have to go. Now.”

“It’s a withdrawal order!”

“Fuck! I said I’m going to fight—!”

Ken was grabbed by both arms by comrades and dragged inward.

Ken.

For the first time, Ken resented this country.

Withdrawal meant handing over the nation—and proving they were a far weaker kingdom.

SCREEEEE—!

The gate slammed shut fast.

Hearing it, Ken’s eyes went bloodshot.

“You fucking bastards—I’ll keep fighting—!”

And then Ken was fully inside.

“.......”

Ken could see citizens in the capital who had been crying—and soldiers who were crouched down.

The crouched citizens and soldiers were making sounds—sobbing, or screaming with anger.

The wall was the same.

At the center was Sword Duke Lysen.

Shh.

Lysen quietly put an index finger to their lips, lowered their body with one hand, and gestured for Ken to do the same and follow them.

Only then could Ken understand.

Goyard wasn’t retreating.

Goyard—who had only been getting pushed back—was preparing a new counterattack.

Soon, Ken also crouched down, covered their ears, and closed their eyes.

And just as Lysen had said, Ken waited for the massive tremor.

*****

I didn’t know Fenrir had that kind of power.

It was a variable.

Three marquises.

The most precious figures Goyard had left right now.

“Summon Gremory.”

Between Fenrir’s jaws—stretched wide open—and the three marquises.

In that gap, Hyunsoo summoned Gremory, and Hyunsoo’s heart hammered like it was about to explode.

[Demon Descent]

[You are afflicted with Extreme Despair (status ailment).]

[You are afflicted with Extreme Frustration (status ailment).]

[You are afflicted with Extreme Fear (status ailment).]

[Status ailment......]

[Status ailment......]

“Hh—hhiik...!”

“M-my breath...!”

“Hiiiiiik!”

Thirty-five thousand Blood Ghoul Corps.

All of them encountered demon Gremory, who had appeared out of nowhere—and fell into panic.

Demon Gremory’s status ailments tightened their throats, causing irregular breathing.

Blood also flowed from all over their bodies, dragging their terror to extremes.

According to ancient documents, it was written to the point of: “One who encounters a demon meets death on the spot.”

In truth, the HP of those thirty-five thousand Blood Ghoul Corps was plummeting at high speed.

And it wasn’t only them.

Fenrir, facing the demon head-on.

Just because it was a Legendary monster, did it feel no fear?

No.

Even the strongest human, when faced with a gunman spraying bullets, freezes and feels fear.

Especially when the very presence pouring out of the Transcendent species demon Gremory was something that a creature like Fenrir couldn’t possibly endure.

And Hyunsoo, hidden among the Blood Ghoul Corps.

Hyunsoo had changed clothes using the artifact of a dead Blood Ghoul Corps—so Hyunsoo looked exactly like a Blood Ghoul Corps.

Naturally, Hyunsoo also fell into the status ailment.

Is this all you two saw?

Gremory’s prison.

When Hyunsoo said Gremory’s Ring was “not much,” Bahala and Kabel’s expressions had been subtle. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Back then, Hyunsoo simply couldn’t see because certainty had been planted: it’s not much.

Only now did Hyunsoo feel it.

Of course, Hyunsoo knew the two of them hadn’t hidden it with bad intent.

If anything, I’m grateful. Thanks to that, I got to see wider.

Because they didn’t tell Hyunsoo, Hyunsoo came up with an even more outrageous idea.

What they had seen stopped at the status ailment of [Demon Descent].

And Gremory, the moment she descended—her face treating Fenrir like worthless mongrel trash.

She could feel it.

The human who sealed her.

Where he was.

“Move.”

“YIP—!”

She kicked Fenrir away, sending it flying.

Her gaze searched for one person—found him.

The instant Gremory’s eyes landed on him, Hyunsoo raised both middle fingers.

“......!?”

Gremory, furious because she’d been summoned—furious as she searched for the summoner.

Now she could see Hyunsoo, grinning at her like he was saying, heehee, you fucking idiot.

The moment she met him, an unbelievable wave of power spread out.

BWOOOOOOOM—

The Blood Ghoul Corps there couldn’t understand.

“Die.”

Why the demon was looking their way with such hatred.

And why the demon was pulling up demonic energy to its absolute limit.

BWOOOOOOOM—

A condensed mass of rage.

And Hyunsoo knew, because Hyunsoo had Gremory’s Ring.

If she was ever summoned, what kind of rage she’d erupt with when she saw Hyunsoo—and which legion commander’s power she would borrow.

That legion commander.

The one called the second legion commander.

Its alias: the legion commander of explosion.

“.......”

“.......”

“.......”

Everyone’s gaze lifted to the sky.

“I’LL KILL YOU NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!”

With Gremory’s voice—reason gone—a black spear swollen with colossal explosive power began to fall straight down.

It was filled with demonic energy, yet it was impossibly beautiful, impossibly magnificent.

Where the spear fell—

Right where Hyunsoo had been just moments ago.

[You use a Return Scroll.]

The instant Hyunsoo vanished into light, the spear pierced the spot with a 0.1-second difference.

THUNK—!

Then—

The spear’s true power revealed itself.

It was like a nuclear bomb.

A wave of hellfire burst outward, and a colossal firestorm erupted.

KRA-KA-BOOOOM—!

The hellfire explosion that shook heaven and earth swept away fifteen thousand Blood Ghoul Corps.